He was darkness.
He was death.
He was pain.
He was suffering.
He was a mystery. One she intended to solve.
"You wouldn't kill me, Tom." "Avada Kedavra!"
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September Twentieth, 1943
When Arabella next woke, she opened her eyes to find a pair of coffee coloured ones above her. Arabella screeched and pulled the covers up to her chin instinctively. Edmund grinned and clambered off of Arabella's bed. "Morning, sunshine," he said, sitting down on his own hospital cot. Edmund pulled his legs up and crossed them and took to staring at Arabella with his soft, doe eyes.
"Hi," Arabella responded, cheeks burning.
Edmund looked down suddenly. "I suppose," he said slowly. "That you'll want to know what happened yesterday afternoon?"
Arabella thought on his words for a moment before meeting his eyes with her own. A few seconds passed before she shook her head. "No."
Edmund's eyes widened and he took a sharp breath. "No?"
"No," Arabella repeated and moved to Edmund's bed. She sat gently next to the frail boy and took his hands in hers. "Of course I'm curious but that doesn't mean you have to tell me anything. We did only just meet."
Edmund laughed softly. "Thank you Arabella."
And as Edmund lay his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, Arabella smiled, thankful of the new friendship that was blossoming between them. Slytherins and Ravenclaws had always made good friends and it warmed Arabella's heart that she was giving this lonely boy someone to talk to and rely on. She didn't care that he wasn't spilling each and every dark secret to her straight away, all she knew was that she was beginning to trust him and he was beginning to trust her.
Arabella closed her eyes and sighed happily, relishing in the warmth that Edmund gave her. Out of the corner of her eye, Arabella noticed Madam Pomfrey tend to another patient and give the pair a small glance. But Pomfrey didn't say anything, she just smiled and turned her full attention to her latest case of a bat-bogey hex gone wrong.
Arabella felt Edmund move off her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. Edmund was grinning at her widely. "What?" Arabella said.
His grin became wider, giving Arabella full view of his white teeth. "It's your birthday tomorrow!" Edmund said and inched forward. "The big sixteen, eh?"
Arabella laughed before looking at Edmund in surprise. "Merlin's beard! How do you know that?"
Edmund shrugged innocently but his burning red cheeks told a different story. He pulled his fingers through his hair and bit his lip nervously. "Well," he began slowly. "I may have read your file." At Arabella's horrified expression, Edmund grabbed her hands tightly and stared into her eyes, pleadingly. "But only because I was curious!" he cried. "I haven't had a real friend in years, all my other friends got scared when I got sick and ditched me like I was some sort of dying animal!"
When Arabella turned her head away, tears pricking in her eyes, Edmund hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her face gently back towards him. "I am truly sorry."
